Waiting For Superman
by DatHuntressGirl
Summary: Reyna thought that she could do anything with Jason by her side but what happens when he comes back from Christmas vacation with a new girl by his side? Reyna honestly didn't think the dark haired punk girl would prance into her life and turn it upside down. Meanwhile, Reyna is also battling her feelings for Jason who seems to be in love with the new girl. I do not own PJO or HOO.
1. Chapter 1

Celebrating Christmas without Jason for the first time was a little weird. At least, Reyna found it weird. She didn't know about her sister. Hylla never really opened up much to Reyna and she didn't really know what her sister was thinking most of the time. That was the problem, though. Hylla didn't seem to lighten up the mood unlike Jason who always found a way to have Christmas spirit and crack corny jokes.

Maybe living without a mother for five years had affected her. Especially since their mother had died around the same time- during Christmas. Reyna had just been twelve years old then- too young and naive. Hylla was sixteen. The death of their mother had taken a huge toll on them. Without a father or a mother, Hylla was forced to take care of Reyna on her own. They didn't even consider going to an orphanage for they would be separated. Hylla had to work two jobs a day and had to be a parental figure for Reyna.

Life was hard until Jason came along a few months later. He literally ran into her life and somehow made it tolerable. He was so infuriating at first but as time passed his antics became endearing to Reyna. Before she knew it, she had developed a crush on the blonde haired, blue eyed boy.

His departure for the Christmas holidays was to say the least, a little disappointing. This Christmas would be the first one without Jason after Reyna's mother passed away. Reyna kept telling herself that he would be back in a week. Heck, she even counted the days and hours until he came back.

When Jason told her that they wouldn't be spending Christmas together, she felt like he had slapped her. She thought that he finally saw her for what she was- a lonesome freak and decided that it was best not to associate with her.

"W-What?" she choked out.

"I'm sorry, Reyna," he said. "I really am. My dad is not letting me back out this time. I have to go and see my sister. Life hasn't exactly been fair to her and I haven't seen her in almost two years. Her mother has gone to rehab and we have to check on her too."

There it was- _her_ mother. Jason and his sister, Thalia has the same mother but for some reason Jason never called her as his own. It was always _Thalia's_ mother or sometimes _Beryl._ Whenever Reyna asked him about his mother he would always change the topic. He usually avoided it and Reyna, getting the hint, rarely brought it up in conversation unless it was absolutely necessary. Jason was suspiciously evasive about his family. Reyna knew Jason but she didn't know _him._ His family life was still a puzzle that was yet to be solved.

"You know what? It's okay. It'll be different for a change." Reyna smiled at him.

He smiled back at her and said, "Thanks, Reyna. You're the best." Her heart fluttered at that last part and she hugged him.

"Tell Thalia I said hi." Reyna had never actually met Thalia but she knew enough about her. She didn't know why Thalia lived with Beryl but Jason had shared some memories shared by him and Thalia before they were separated. From what she knew, Thalia was two years older than them- a sophomore in college and was currently studying in UCLA.

"I sure will." Jason smiled at her and she felt warm and fuzzy inside. She tried to ignore that feeling. Sure, Jason and she were very close but she didn't want her feelings to ruin their friendship. But then, she couldn't help but thinking _what if he did like her back._

Jason being away for the holidays gave Reyna some extra time to prepare for college. She had applied to several colleges but hadn't received any acceptance letter yet. She had applied to Berkeley- her dream college and was hoping to get accepted there. She also had some time to catch up with her other best friend Annabeth. They had been in the same classes since kindergarten and they never got along until two years ago when they were both part of the student council. They both shared an interest for volleyball and had they both had an ambition to go to Berkeley.

Reyna's phone beeped.

 _Annabeth: Hey do you want to come over for dinner? You must be bored since Jason isn't there. Why don't you join Percy and me for tonight?_

She got another message from Annabeth.

 _Annabeth: I'll understand if you don't want to join us. You might want to celebrate with don't you both come over?_

"Hey, Hylla," Reyna said. "Annabeth wants to know if we could come over for dinner. Do you want to come?"

"Will Malcolm be there?" Hylla asked.

"Let me check," Reyna texted Annabeth and immediately got a reply. "Yeah. He's going to be there."

"Okay. I'll come."

Hylla and Annabeth's elder brother had been friends for a while and they dated in their senior year. Malcolm decided to go to the other side of the country for college while Hylla had to go to a community college and take care of Reyna. Their long distance relationship didn't work out so they decided to remain friends.

 _Reyna: Hylla agreed to come. When should we come over?_

 _Annabeth: Probably around 6:30_

 _Reyna: Okay_

"You know," Hylla said. "I found a letter for you in the mail today."

"Really," Reyna said. She secretly hoped it was her acceptance letter from Berkeley. She couldn't let herself hope too much though. Maybe she wasn't good enough to go to Berkeley. Maybe they needed someone with a higher GPA.

She clenched her fists under the table and tightly closed her eyes. Hylla threw down the letter in front of her. Reyna could feel herself panicking. A bitter taste filled her mouth.

"It's going to be fine. It's just Dartmouth." Hylla said.

Dartmouth. Reyna instantly relaxed. She picked up the letter and read it.

She got accepted. It wasn't as satisfying as being accepted into Berkeley. Dartmouth was also a college which she wanted to get accepted to but what worried her was the fact that she won't be able to make visits often to her home in San Francisco. It would especially devastate her if she was separated from Jason and Annabeth.

"Cheer up," Hylla encouraged. "You got accepted, right?"

"But . . ." Reyna trailed off.

"Rey, I know it's not the same as Berkeley but Dartmouth is an option. You could get a good scholarship there with your 4.0GPA.

"Keep hoping. You haven't got your Berkeley acceptance letter yet. There is still a chance."Hylla glanced at the clock. "And there is also a chance that I may be late for work today. See you later, Reyna. I'll come by Annabeth's house after I'm done with work."

Hylla grabbed her bag and literally ran out the door, leaving Reyna on her own to contemplate her options for college.

~o0o~

"I got my acceptance to Stanford today," Annabeth said.

Reyna decided to spend the day with Annabeth since she had absolutely nothing to do. It was evening now and Percy, Annabeth's boyfriend was coming over soon with his mom and stepdad. Reyna was worried about Hylla. Her shift at work should have been over almost an hour ago and she didn't receive any text from Hylla yet.

"That's cool," Reyna replied. "I got my acceptance to Dartmouth. I'm still waiting for Berkeley."

"Yeah . . ." Annabeth hesitated.

"What is it?" Reyna asked.

"It's just . . . I don't know if I want to go. I know I've been dreaming of this college my entire life but I don't know if I can fit in there."

Reyna saw something else in Annabeth's eyes. She knew that wasn't the entire reason. There was more to it than her friend was letting out.

"Is this about Percy?"

"Uh . . ." Annabeth paused for a second. "No."

"You hesitated."

Annabeth huffed. "He tried, okay. He tried to get into a couple of colleges near Berkeley but he didn't get accepted. He got accepted to some colleges which have some good sports scholarships nearby but . . . long distance relationships don't always work out, you know and the seaweed brain only recently came to his senses and said he loves me. . ."

"He said he loves you?" Reyna's eyes widened. She knew it was coming. Ever since Percy and Annabeth started dating when they were sixteen, they seemed to be like no other couple she had seen before. They always looked at each other like the other was their entire world. They seemed to be happier around each other. Annabeth was smart and organised and Percy was laid back and an out-going guy. They were polar opposites and yet they still worked together.

"Yeah," Annabeth grinned and had a gleam in her eyes. She seemed to be reminiscing the moment in her head.

The doorbell rang and Mrs Chase, Annabeth's stepmother, ran to go and get it. It turned out to be Percy and his family.

"Speak of the devil," Reyna muttered as Percy came to sit beside them on the couch.

Annabeth's cheeks became a tinted pink. "Oh, shut up."

"You two were talking about me?" Percy asked with smug smirk on his face. "Let me guess. Were you talking about my irresistibly hot six pack abs?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Seaweed Brain."

"I bet all that's under there are flabs," Reyna chuckled.

Percy frowned with feigned hurt and placed a hand on his heart. "You wound me, Rey-Rey."

"Do _not_ call me Rey-Rey you fatuous, petulant, imbecilic, cretin."

He blinked. "What?"

"Nice!" Annabeth held her hand up for a high five and Reyna obliged.

"It's not nice for both of you to team up against me, you know," He complained. "I thought you were supposed to be my girlfriend, Annabeth."

"No way," Annabeth said. "Chicks before dicks." He rolled his eyes.

"But still. You should be on my side. Rey-Rey here wouldn't take my side even if it were the end of the world."

"For once," Reyna said. "You're actually correct, Barnacle Breath. Oh, and call me Rey-Rey one more time, you won't be alive when you wake up." She glared at him. Her absolutely menacing death glare which could penetrate anything and make even the bravest man quiver.

He gulped. "Yes, Re- I mean, ma'am."

"Good."

"Honestly," Annabeth said to Reyna. "You're better at controlling my boyfriend than I am. Whenever I yell at him, it just ends up in a make out session."

"Hey," he protested. "It's your fault you can't resist my amazing body." He snaked his arm around Annabeth's waist and pulled her to his side.

"Says the person who can't keep his hands off mine even for a second," Annabeth retorted.

"Ew," Reyna interrupted. She had an expression of distaste on her face. "Stop with the disgusting personal stuff, both of you. Honestly I don't understand how you two are all over each other all the time."

"You should get a boyfriend, Reyna," he suggested. "Then you would understand why we can't keep our hands to ourselves."

"What if I don't want a boyfriend?" she said.

"What? Are you gay then?"

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"You are?" he didn't seem to catch the sarcasm in her voice so he had a confused expression on his face. He turned to Annabeth. "Why didn't you tell me your best friend was a lesbian?"

His girlfriend rolled her eyes,"I didn't tell you because she isn't, you idiot. Besides, she likes Jason."

His eyes widened, "Jason? My buddy Jason Grace?" He turned to Reyna. "Really?"

She blushed a little. She didn't want Percy, Jason's best guy friend, to know that she had a crush on Jason. Despite getting her secret revealed, she still managed a stern expression on her face. Oh, was she going to kill Annabeth for blurting out her crush.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said exasperated. "Stop acting so surprised. They've been best friends for a while. Haven't you seen the way she looks at him? Actually, never mind that. You'll forever be oblivious to other people's feelings."

"Hey! I didn't know about your feelings for me because you always looked like you wanted to punch me or something."

"Oh my gods, Seaweed Brain. Didn't you catch any of those hints?"

"Uh . . . what hints?" She glared at him. His eyes widened. "But still, it was just you, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah? What do you call Nico, then? A skeleton zombie?"

"Well he sort of is a skeleton zombie you know . . ."

Reyna zoned out from the couple's bickering and checked her phone. Honestly, Percy and Annabeth were the perfect couple no matter how much they argued. And that's what disturbed Reyna. No matter how much they insult each other, by the end of the day, they end up confessing their love for each other. They never broke up and neither of the seemed to have even the very thought of cheating. Reyna didn't believe in love until she saw Percy and Annabeth. She knew that she can never be in such a secure relationship like them. It hurt her sometimes. And it hurt to be around them too.

She scrolled through her messages and found no texts from Hylla but a few from Jason. There was a text from him saying 'Merry Christmas!' and a picture of him in a silly selfie with a dark haired girl with Jason's electrifying blue eyes. Reyna was intrigued by the girl. She found the girl's eyes distracting. She guessed that the dark haired girl was Thalia, Jason's sister.

The girl didn't seem anything like Jason. You couldn't even guess that they were siblings unless you looked really close at both of them and compared their features. Reyna studied the picture. Thalia had a punk look on her. She seemed to have a side shave and side swept hair. The eyeliner around her eyes made her eyes look more intimidating than Jason's whose eyes were behind a pair of wire rimmed spectacles. The only other feature the siblings had in common were their strong jaw-line which made both of them look rugged.

Reyna was broken from her train of thought by the doorbell ringing. She got up to go and get it.

She didn't expect to see Hylla at the door smelling of alcohol and a tear stained face.


	2. Chapter 2

Hylla was in shock. Her blotchy eyes didn't seem to meet Reyna's eyes at all as she and Hylla made their way down the street back to their house. Reyna decided it was best if they went back so they wouldn't make a scene in the Chase household. Malcolm had insisted on coming and dropping them off at their place. At first, Reyna was reluctant but agreed anyway after seeing the eagerness to help in the older boy's eyes. When they got to the house, Reyna thanked Malcolm and bid him goodbye.

Her sister was still shaking when they entered the house and she made a rush to her room upstairs before Reyna could stop her. It was very odd. Hylla never lost control like this. _Never._ Reyna ran after her, concerned. Thankfully Hylla hadn't locked the door but was sitting still on her bed staring at the piece of wall opposite her bed.

Hylla's eyes were devoid of emotion and completely blank. "Hylla." She didn't answer. Her mouth was sealed shut. "Hylla," Reyna tried again. She sat by her sister and placed her hand on top of her sister's. She hated seeing Hylla like this. Reyna knew how much Hylla had been through and even if the impact of their deceased mother hit them both, she still felt like Hylla absorbed all of it. Reyna was so scared for the one day Hylla would just . . . _break._ Break out of all the pressure of being a mother and an elder sister- fending for her younger sister and for herself at such a young age. That fear had always been there in Reyna's heart. That's why she tried as hard as she could to make her sister happy.

"Dad," Hylla's voice was hoarse. "I saw dad when I was at work."

Reyna stiffened. They hadn't seen their dad since they were very little. He had been driven mad and had resorted to drugs after the death of their mother. Hylla had taken Reyna and ran away to get away from his madness. She knew that he wouldn't be able to take care of them both and they hadn't seen traces of their father since they ran away.

"What did he do?" Reyna said softly.

"He smelt of alcohol and he confronted me in an alley while I was walking back home. He taunted me. He blamed me for being selfish and running away. He . . . he almost beat me but I loosened his grip and I ran away."

Reyna put her arm around her sister's shoulder and hugged her close. She didn't say anything. Neither did Hylla. They sat on Hylla's bed for a while, not saying anything. Somehow, the silence was enough.

It was finally Reyna that broke the silence, "We're not going to let dad take control of us again. You're an adult and I'm almost one too. He can't take us back and he's not going to harm us. I can't believe he almost abused you. What has happened to him?"

Madness. Insanity. Anger. All the side effects of their mother's death. The verbal abuse had become too much before they had ran away. For so long, both of them had avoided talking about their father. They wanted to leave him behind, forgotten.

Before long, the two sisters had drifted off to sleep- the return of their father escaping their minds as they drifted off into unconsciousness.

~o0o~

Two days. Two days till Jason came back. The days had passed since Hylla's encounter with their father. Reyna could tell that Hylla was still traumatized by it but she didn't show it. Only if you knew Hylla as much as Reyna did would you actually be able notice that there was a slight change in her behavior.

Reyna had almost finished her holiday homework and was currently writing an essay for her college applications in a nearby coffee shop. Her papers were sprawled on the table with a laptop and a cup of her favorite hazelnut cappuccino in front of her. The smell of coffee always seemed to calm her down. It smelt like home because her mother used to be a coffee addict and made the best coffee in the entire world. Reyna could still remember when she had a bad dream and she used to crawl into her mother's bed and fall asleep to the smell of coffee.

The door of the café dinged open and a tall blonde guy and a tall dark haired girl came inside. It was slightly drizzling outside and the couple's hair was a little damp from the raindrops. Reyna squinted and seemed to recognize them from the back of their heads.

The boy turned around. Reyna could recognize those blue eyes from a mile away. "Jason?" she muttered. It wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear but the boy seemed to hear it anyway. He turned around to see where the voice was coming from and he came face to face with Reyna.

"Reyna," he breathed. His eyes were wide and his lips tilted up in a broad grin. Reyna leapt up to her feet and in a few strides, she was in Jason's arms and her face buried in his shoulder.

"I missed you," she said. Her body still pressed against his. She breathed him in- drinking in his presence. _Gods, she didn't realize how much she missed him._

"I missed you too," he hugged her tighter.

A cough was heard which broke the best friends apart. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend, lil bro!" the dark hair punk girl said enthusiastically. Reyna recognized her as Thalia, Jason's sister.

Reyna's cheeks reddened. _She wished she were his girlfriend._ "I'm not his girlfriend."

Jason didn't seem fazed at all by the comment. "I told you, Thals. I showed you a picture of her remember? This is Reyna, my best friend."

Thalia smirked. "I'm Thalia," she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you." Reyna shook her hand.

"You too," she said. "Jason's told me about you."

"Oh yeah? Cool."

"Why don't I go order you a drink?" Jason said and started to head off to the counter.

"Yeah, okay."

Reyna shuffled to her table and gathered all her papers and put them into a messy pile so Thalia could sit down and not be appalled by the mess.

"Lot of homework?" Thalia asked.

"Tons," Reyna huffed a little. "I'm trying to get into a good college."

"Oh. I actually studied in UCLA until a couple of months ago."

"What happened?"

Thalia's eyes clouded. "Family problems."

She didn't elaborate so Reyna took the hint and decided not to push it. It was better that way. Besides, Thalia was Jason's sister and she gave off a do-not-mess-with-me-or-I'll-kill-you vibe so Reyna decided not to get on to her bad side. Jason would be disappointed if his best friend and his sister didn't get along.

They chatted for a while until Jason came back with his and Thalia's drinks. Thalia had moved here and was living with Jason and his father until she found a place of her own. She and Jason had arrived the previous night and they were so tired that Jason couldn't inform Reyna that he was back.

"What made you guys come so early, anyway?" Reyna said. "I didn't expect you for another two days."

"The forecast said that there was a heavy storm coming soon so we made a few arrangements to come back early," Jason replied.

"You could have at least told me!"

Jason chuckled, "I was planning on surprising you today, actually."

She smiled a little. She had to resist the urge to blush. Small acts like these were what made her like Jason so much. "Well you definitely surprised me, all right."

Suddenly Basket Case by Green Day started playing from somewhere. Thalia's eyes widened and she took out her phone from her pocket and checked the caller ID. "Urgh. It's Luke. I'm not answering this asshole again. I should just block him."

"You like Green Day?" Reyna asked.

The punk girl looked up from her phone and smiled. "Yeah. They're my favorite band."

Reyna grinned. "High five!" she held up her hand and Thalia high-fived her.

"What's your favorite song?"

"Ooh! That's hard to choose. Honestly, I love all their songs."

"Yeah, but if you had to choose, which would you pick?"

Reyna thought for a moment. "Probably 21 Guns or Wake Me Up When September Ends."

Jason looked back and forth between the two girls in a state of disbelief. "I can't believe you two like the same music," he said. He turned to Reyna. "I didn't even know you listen to _music_."

She rolled her eyes. "I have a life, Jason. Either you're just exceptionally unobservant or you're just stupid."

"But, you don't seem like the type to listen to Thalia music."

"Thalia music?" his sister raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jason said. "All those loud and scream-o type music which you listen to falls under that category. I can't even keep track with all the bands you listen to. I can only name a very few which you obsess over."

"I don't obsess over them," she glared at Jason.

"Oh yeah? Then what do you call having all your walls filled with posters of random rock bands, wearing merchandise and always having music going on in your room?"

"It's not obsessing," Reyna said. "It's called fangirling."

"Basically obsessing."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Anyway, I listen to only selective music. Particularly Rock. I don't listen to scream-o. More like pop-punk, alternative and classic rock. I like to listen to Linkin Park, Paramore, Twenty One Pilots and stuff like that."

"Oh I love them!" Thalia perked up. "Paramore is one of my favorite bands. Have you heard about Hayley Williams' new hair dye brand she's launching?" Hayley Williams was the lead singer of one of Reyna's favorite bands- Paramore and she was launching a spunky hair dye line called GoodDyeYoung.

"Oh my gods, yes! I don't exactly plan on getting it but I'm really happy that she gets to follow her dream."

"I plan on trying the orange one as soon as it comes on pre-sale. You think it would suit me?"

Reyna pictured Thalia with the bright orange hair. "Hmm . . . You know if you got rid of the side shave and got bangs instead with a pair of green contacts, I don't think I could tell you and Hayley apart."

They laughed.

Jason blinked, "I have no fucking idea what you guys are talking about."

Thalia ignored him. "I like you," she told Reyna. "We should hang out sometime." She gave Reyna her number and vice versa.

"We could go out to lunch later," Reyna said. "You know to get to know each other." Her stomach jumped a little at that thought. She ignored the feeling.

"Yeah," Thalia smiled.

~o0o~

 **A/N: I just want to tell you guys that this fanfiction is inspired by Waiting For Superman by Daughtry. It's not based off of the song but just inspired. This is not a Jeyna fic at all. This is a Theyna fic. Do not get the idea that I ship Jeyna because it is strictly NOTP. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter!**

 **Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Urgh. High school. A living hell for teenagers everywhere. As Reyna walked through the hallways, she heard some whispers about a new girl. Of course, Reyna knew about this as being part of the Student Council and also being its President. She had been asked to show the girl around and was heading over to the school office to do just that.

She didn't know anything about the girl except that she was a transfer student from LA. But, from the rumors that were going around, she could catch some phrases like 'naturally gorgeous' and 'mysterious aura'. Some girls who couldn't possibly have met the new girl had already started to hate on her. She even heard the school's biggest bitch, Drew Tanaka muttering about the girl looking like a 'Dumpster Queen'. Reyna simply rolled her eyes at the comments. Leave it to the school bitches to be so shallow to judge a girl they haven't even met.

Reyna entered the office and saw a choppy brown-haired Native American girl sitting in one of the seats. She was indeed beautiful just as people had muttered about in the halls. She wore some baggy jeans and a t-shirt, her tan skin seemed to glow and her eyes were wide and kept shifting hues. But, she was not alone. Jason was with her. Reyna hadn't seen him all morning and here he was—chatting it up with the new girl. Jason and the new girl seemed to notice Reyna standing two metres away as they drew their attention away from their intense conversation and looked up. Reyna felt a pang of jealousy at how close they seemed after just being introduced a while ago.

Jason grinned, "Hey, Reyna." She plastered a fake smile just to seem polite.

She turned to the new girl, "You must be the transfer student. My name is Reyna. Student Council President. Pleased to meet you." Reyna thought she sounded too formal but she didn't care. It was better to be business-like. She would have liked to maintain a distance from the girl anyway. She didn't like the way the girl was very friendly with Jason.

Despite the slight steeliness in Reyna's voice, the new girl gave her a smile. "I'm Piper McLean. Likewise."

"Hey," Jason said. "Reyna, I was wondering if I could take your responsibility of showing Piper around." An ice shard in the heart. How could Jason do this? The task was assigned to _her._ But, at the same time, she was torn between making Jason stay away from the girl and not disappointing her best friend.

The girl spoke up, "It would be really cool for Jason to show me around. We actually met in LA while he was there during the holidays." So they had met before. That explained why they were so friendly with each other. It didn't really help with Reyna's bitter feelings towards the girl, though.

He smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I didn't even know you were coming to this school, Pipes."

"Well, you didn't tell me you went to Jupiter High School did you, Sparky?" They even had nicknames for each other. Sure, blame Reyna for being a jealous best friend but these two had endearing _nicknames_ for each other. Jason never gave her a nickname before. Sure, he had called her Rey-Rey once before but she punched him for it and he never called her that again. She wasn't even that great with nicknames so she didn't bother coming up with one for Jason.

She shoved down her bitter emotions and agreed to Jason's request anyway. Reyna felt like Piper sensed something wrong with Reyna from the fake smile on her face. Piper gave Reyna a once over as she walked out the door with Jason by her side.

Luckily, the receptionist was still in the office or Reyna would have lost control and punched something. With a deep breath Reyna gathered up her pride and with an aura of confidence, walked out the office door just as the first bell rang.

Annabeth was by Reyna's locker. The two made small talk as they made their way to homeroom. Being with Annabeth took her mind off of Jason and who knows what he was doing with Piper. As they settled in homeroom, the blonde girl was babbling on about some architecture assignment which she seemed widely interested in but didn't exactly catch the attention of Reyna. She didn't even realize as she zoned out and was thinking about Jason.

She was awakened from her stupor by Annabeth snapping her fingers in front of Reyna's face. She blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

The other girl glared a little at her. Sometimes Annabeth's stormy grey eyes actually intimidated Reyna—like now. "There's a Student Council meeting today. It's about that fundraiser project for Children In Need."

"Oh. When is it?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Seventh period. You have study hall then so I don't think it will be a problem," she said. "Honestly, you can be so much like Percy sometimes!"

"Why is he even related to this conversation, again?"

Annabeth exasperated, "You can't keep zoning out when I tell you important stuff. I mentioned some ideas for the fundraiser, you know. But anyway, I'll let you off the hook. I can tell something's bothering you, what is it?"

"Huh? Nothing's bothering me, I swear," she lied.

Annabeth didn't look convinced. She eyes Reyna seeing if she could coax information out of her but eventually gave up. She sighed, "If you say so."

~o0o~

Reyna wouldn't necessarily call herself popular. Nor would she call herself a loner. Almost everyone knew her because she was the Student Council President and having that title did have its perks but that didn't stop the Queen Bitch of the school from picking on Reyna. Drew never let slip a chance to taunt Reyna and make her feel bad about herself. Being in the same school with the popular girl for almost four years had taught Reyna how to stand up to self absorbed snobs. So, it didn't come as a big problem for her to shoo off bullies.

Heading over to the cafeteria after the lunch bell, Reyna heard the sound of heels clicking. She turned around to come face to face with Drew flanked on either side by her boyfriend—Dylan and her wingman—Nancy Bobofit.

Of course, their school had a strict uniform code. White button down shirts with a purple blazer and a black tie, knee length black skirts for girls and full length black pants for guys. Even with the uniform fixed, Drew and Nancy still somehow made their uniform to be skimpier. Their skirts only came till mid-thigh and if they bent down you could see a flash of their underwear. Their button down shirts were a little tight and they didn't button all the way up so when they flirted with guys, they would bend down low enough to give them a nice view of their cleavage.

Drew didn't wear layers of makeup unlike Nancy. No, Drew was naturally beautiful physically but she was rotten inside. The saying 'all that glitters is not gold' seemed to suit Drew perfectly. Nancy on the other hand, applied so many layers of makeup that it would completely alter her face. And then Dylan—who was Drew's on and off boyfriend/hook-up partner. Whenever Drew couldn't find a guy to get into her pants, she would just go back to Dylan who oddly seemed to accept her.

"What's the problem, _hon_?" Drew said in her high pitched nasally voice. "Can't find another boy to hook up with? Or are you still hung up on Jason Grace?"

Drew had always hated Reyna for being close with Jason. She had always taunted Reyna, spreading false rumors about her sleeping with random guys at school, using drugs on guys and persuading them to sleep with her. Reyna was initially bothered by it but as time went on; she got used to the bullying and began to fight back. If Drew was intending to break her, she was going to stand up and fight back twice as hard.

"Can't find another guy, Drew?" Reyna said icily. "Seems like your back with Dylan again. Can't get your hands on Jason?"

Drew had put her focus on Jason as soon as he had hit puberty and had been trying relentlessly to get him to sleep with her. And Jason, being the nice guy he is, declined her politely. Most of the time, when Drew was approaching Jason, he would just make a lame excuse and get out of the place. Other times . . . he was not so lucky. Drew would put herself all over him—touching his biceps, bending down to show her cleavage, bringing her face really close to his, batting her eyelashes, trying to tempt him seductively. All were fail attempts so far. And Reyna was glad Jason had the common sense to control himself.

Drew gave an evil smirk."He's not my target anymore."

"Really? What made you change your mind?"

"Oh, you know," Her eyes darted to something behind Reyna. "The new girl." Reyna turned around to see Piper and Jason walking together through the crowd of teens. "They seem awfully chummy, don't you think? I know you want her away from him, Reyna. You can join me. I'll help you get him."

Reyna was vaguely reminded of Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter then. The scene in the first book/movie where Malfoy tries to convince Harry to be his friend was very similar to the situation at the moment. After all this taunting and Drew wanted Reyna to join her. What shocked her more was that Drew wanted to help Reyna get Jason. Yeah, right.

She laughed bitterly, "Tell me this is some sick joke."

Drew laughed. "It's true, hon. I'm giving you the option. Its time you opted for some better company. Anyway, toodles!" She flipped her hair as she turned around and sashayed away with her little posse.

The very thought of Reyna joining forces with Drew made her nauseous and she was saved from throwing up on the spot by Jason . . . and Piper.

"You okay, Reyna? You look a little pale."

Reyna muttered, "I'm fine. Peachy . . ."

Jason looked a little concerned. "Okay . . . I saw Drew talking to you. Nothing too rash?"

She shook her head. Jason knew that Drew and Reyna had been having this rivalry since high school started but he never knew why. He knew Drew bullied her but he never found out the reason. "She didn't do anything. I'm actually surprised."

"Why?"

Reyna would have replied to his question but apparently the reason was just there with them hearing the entire conversation. Instead of giving a straight answer, Reyna just shrugged.

"So that Asian girl—not to be racist—is Drew Tanaka? The mean girl of the school?" Piper asked.

"Yep," Jason said. "Along with her two friends or sidekicks—Nancy and Dylan."

Piper let out a low whistle and muttered, "And I thought I wouldn't face the social hierarchy here."

"I need to grab some lunch and get to library soon," Reyna said. "Jason, don't forget to come to the Student Council meeting in the seventh period."

Jason sulked a little. "Do I have to come? I was wondering if you could fill me in later because I have Geography class with Piper. We only have two classes together. I thought I would be able to hang out with her more."

Reyna's expression became guarded again. She wasn't going to let him off the hook again. He _had_ to come to the Student Council meeting. He was the Vice-President. He couldn't just go throwing off his responsibilities just to spend time with the new girl. It wasn't right. Through Reyna's eyes, he was being a little irresponsible. What also bothered her was that he wasn't spending time with her. He never skipped Student Council meetings to spend time with Reyna during their junior year when they only had one class together.

"No, Jason," she said. "You have to come. You've never skipped a meeting before. Besides, you'll have a lot of time to hang out with Piper later."

"That's the thing," he said. "I've never skipped a meeting before. Can I? Just once? That's all I'm asking." The way he was asking her was almost as if he was pleading. Like a little boy pleading to his mother to get a chocolate bar. She bit her lip.

"It's okay, Jason," Piper told him. "I think you should go to the meeting. Besides, I can figure the place out. Maybe I'll make some new friends." Reyna silently thanked Piper. Jason seemed to listen to her and thought for a few seconds.

"Well . . . if you insist," he said. He turned to Reyna. "Why don't you sit with us at lunch?"

Reyna shook her head, "As much as I want to, I can't. I have to do some research for an assignment which is due soon. I'll see you guys later." She waved and walked away.

~o0o~

At the Student Council meeting, Reyna avoided looking at Jason and she didn't sit next to him like usual. The meeting was as per usual—they discussed the plans for the fundraiser. Annabeth had given some ideas on a cultural food fest and Frank Zhang, a Student Council member, had given ideas for a marathon. They hadn't agreed on anything yet and the fundraiser was to take place in end of February.

Reyna and Annabeth were still discussing some plans for the fundraiser as they left the school building and made their way to the parking lot. Reyna didn't really have a car. She instead opted to ride a bike to school. She had received several comments on bullies before on how she and her sister were too poor to own a car but she had just shrugged it off.

Out of nowhere, a black Mustang drove into the parking lot. It immediately started turning heads. The car looked shiny and new. Nobody in the school, as far as Reyna was concerned, owned a Mustang. So, obviously it was a little strange. The car pulled up near where Annabeth and Reyna were standing. A familiar dark haired punk girl climbed out of it.

"Thalia, what are you doing here?" Reyna asked.

The older girl grinned a little, "I just came to pick up my little brother. Nice to see you here, Reyna."

"Thals?" Annabeth seemed shocked.

Thalia's eyes widened, "Annie?"

Now, Reyna was confused. _How did these two know each other?_ The two girls walked up to each other and embraced. "It's so good to see you again! I missed you," Annabeth said.

"How do you guys know each other?" Reyna asked.

"We used to be cabin mates at this summer camp we used to go to," Annabeth answered her. "Remember those four years I went to a summer camp till I turned sixteen?"

"Oh yeah."

"The summer camp only allows kids till they're sixteen," Thalia said. "And I haven't seen Annabeth since I left four years ago."

Reyna would be lying if she said she felt a little left out. Two of her best friends had reunited with their own best friends on the _same day_. She felt a little alone and it wasn't better that she felt like a third wheel all day with Percy hanging around with Annabeth and herself.

Thalia and Annabeth engaged themselves in an animated conversation. Reyna found it hard to keep up so she zoned out. She didn't even realize it but she began to study Thalia. Her hair was spiked like always and the tips were dyed blue unlike the last time Reyna saw her which was almost a week ago. Reyna probably never noticed before but Thalia had a small tattoo right behind her ear. It was in the shape of a cloud with a bolt of lightning under it. The cloud was a stormy grey color and the lightning was an orangey yellow. Reyna also noticed that she really liked Thalia's neck. It may sound weird but it looked nice to her. Realizing what she was thinking about, Reyna shook her head. It was wrong to be thinking like that. It creeped her out a bit.

"Anyway," Annabeth said. "How is Luke?" she asked Thalia. The dark haired girl stiffened. Her eyes clouded the same way when Reyna had asked Thalia about her reason for quitting college and moving to San Francisco.

"He's . . . fine," Thalia answered. "He's still worried about his mother. She's still in a critical condition. I haven't talked to him lately, but I heard his mother is finally admitted into a mental hospital."

"Oh," Annabeth's eyes held concern. "Well, I'm really sorry. But then it's good he got to hand her over to be taken care of by other people. I hope May gets well soon."

"Yeah . . ."

"Well, I better get going. I'll see you guys later." Annabeth strode off to her car.

"How are you getting back?" Thalia asked.

"I have my bike," Reyna motioned to her purple bicycle parked in the stands.

Thalia eyes it a little. "Well, maybe I could give you a ride. I'm pretty sure it would fit in the trunk of my car. Besides, I saw Jason with some other girl so I don't think it would be a problem."

With the mention of Piper, Reyna stiffened. "Oh," she said. "Well . . . I guess its fine . . ."

Thalia smiled. Her blue eyes lit up. "Okay. Come on." They loaded Reyna's bicycle into the trunk of Thalia's car. Reyna was actually surprised it fit.

"Is this your car?" Reyna asked curiously.

"No," Thalia said. "It's actually my dad's. I'm borrowing it until I get enough money to get my own. I still have to pay for the gas for this one, though."

"Did you get a job yet?"

"Yeah. I got a job at a tattoo parlor. I used to ink my skin so I'm actually good at it."

"Really? How many tattoos do you have?"

Thalia smirked. "You'll find out." Something about that sounded a little seductive. Reyna couldn't contain herself and her cheeks reddened. She tried really hard to ignore that comment. _It's Thalia_ , she told herself. _Stop blushing!_

Thalia chuckled. "What?" Reyna asked.

"Nothing," Thalia was still having a smug smirk on her face.

"What? Please tell me," Reyna demanded.

The other girl shook her head. Reyna groaned. She had to give Thalia directions on how to get to her house and soon they reached.

"Hey, you know," Thalia said as Reyna was removing her bike from the trunk. "You still owe me that lunch."

Reyna thought about when she would be free. "What about Saturday?"

Thalia nodded. "Okay. I'll text you."

Something about seeing Thalia again made her jump with excitement. Reyna was never really a person to trust someone easily and she still didn't trust Thalia completely. But, she felt a little free around Thalia. Like all her worries were gone just for the small amount of time they spent together. For Zeus' sake, they only met a little more than a week ago. And there was also the fact that Thalia was her best friend's sister so they would obviously see each other often. Reyna was still confused how she felt these weird sensations around Thalia. She didn't even know what they were. For now, she just chose to ignore it. It was best not to think of what it might be.

~o0o~

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